today could have been worse
by xotashxo
Summary: Stiles is having a bad day. Super bad. He broke his alarm, was late to work, and managed to have coffee spilled on him twice in one day. To make matters worse, the handsome guy who play lacrosse with his best friend happens to watch it happen the second time. Why can't Stiles catch a break?


This wasn't how he wanted his morning to go.

First of all, he overslept. He'd somehow managed to knock over his alarm clock in his sleep and it was now broken, so not only did it _not_ wake him up at 7:30, he also needed to buy a new alarm clock.

He was then late for work, because he overactive brain kept him awake until 3am so his body needed the sleep, and without his alarm his body slept for most of the morning, leaving Stiles to have to rush to work an hour after he was supposed to get there.

He worked in a small coffee shop a ten minute walk from his house, and while his co-workers understood why he was late (how did he not get shouted at?) there was still a long line of customers waiting to be served.

Then, after he was settling into his day, offering to finish an hour later to make up for the hour he had missed, some idiot bumped into him and spilled their coffee all over him. And blamed him for it. They had to refund the customer, and Stiles had to spend the rest of his shift covered in a cappuccino.

To make matters worse, the guy he had a massive crush on came into the shop an hour before Stiles was due to get off.

Stiles had often made an absolute fool out of himself in front of Derek Hale. That was an irrefutable fact. He was a couple years older than Stiles, but played with Stiles' best friend Scott on the lacrosse team at their college. Scott always said he would introduce them, seeing as he was friends with Derek, but Stiles always refused. He'd made a fool of himself enough times to know that he should just admire that perfect body from afar, otherwise he'd risk not being able to admire it at all.

It was those kind of thoughts that made Stiles question why he was hired to work in a coffee shop. His ADHD meant that his thoughts were often wandering, and so how could he be trusted making hot drinks? His mind wanders to Derek Hale and then he pours hot coffee on his skin. Again.

Wow. He really wasn't having a great day.

It really didn't help that he was the only staff member out front and it was quiet in the shop, which meant that Derek Hale had happened to watch the whole thing.

"Shit." Stiles mumbled under his breath, cleaning his hand and mentally preparing himself to turn around a see a stoic Derek staring at him. Instead, he hears a rough, but melodic voice asking him a question. Unfortunately for him, his brain focuses on the sound of the voice rather than the actual words, and therefore Stiles has to turn around and awkwardly ask the source to repeat the question, in the hopes that his brain will function this time around.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that for me?" He asks, before he turns around and finds himself staring right at the man he had been hoping wouldn't notice him.

Derek gives him a half-smile, before repeating his question. "I was just wondering if you were alright. You were mumbling to yourself, and then you poured the coffee on your hand, which probably burned. I just wanted to check you were okay."

Well. That was not what Stiles had been expecting. And due to his shock, his brain decided not to function properly, so he started stuttering like an idiot until he managed to get out the phrase _"I'm okay I've just had a really shit day."_ except he said it so fast he's not sure Derek caught it.

Derek smiled sheepishly, then admitted, "I've been having a bad day too. That's why I came here."

"Why would you come _here_ of all places if you've been having a bad day?" Stiles blurted out incredulously, once again mentally cursing his brain for not being able to work like a normal person's. Derek looked a bit embarrassed, but then seemed to shake it off and look more confident.

"I came here because I knew you would make my day a bit better."

For the first time in his life, Stiles was silent. He had no response to that. Or rather, he _did_ , but his stupid brain decided that he didn't want to say anything, only stare at the gorgeous man in front of him, dumbstruck.

Derek awkwardly scratched behind his ear. "It's just that, uh, you never fail to make me laugh. I've seen you out with Scott, and you're always doing something crazy and wacky and it's kinda refreshing. And I seem to have said too much so I'm just going to go now." Derek started to back away from the counter, then stopped abruptly when Stiles yelled "Stop!" at him.

Cursing his stupidly abnormal brain for the millionth time today, Stiles scrambled to find the right words.

"I didn't want you to come in today." Derek's face fell when Stiles admitted that, but he carried on anyway. "I know I always do stupid shit, but I always seem to become more accident prone when you're around, hell, even when you're mentioned. I spilled coffee on myself earlier because I was thinking about you and your stupidly handsome face and your amazing muscles and how Scott offered to formally introduce us and that I was stupid for having turned that offer down. And then you asked me a question but I didn't hear it because my brain could only focus on how nice your voice sounds. And then you go and tell me that my antics actually improve your mood? _Dude_ , that's the best thing to happen to me today."

Derek's grin lights up his whole face as he listens to Stiles' rant. "You think I'm handsome?" He smirks as Stiles tries to cover up his slip, failing spectacularly. Derek leans on the counter, getting closer to Stiles. "This 'stupidly handsome face' is going to take you out to dinner tomorrow night. Be ready at 7." He tells Stiles, then slowly backs away, gathers his stuff and makes a move to leave the shop.

"You don't have my address. You don't even have my number!" Stiles exclaimed indignantly.

"Of course I do. Just because you refused to let Scott introduce us doesn't mean that I didn't accept Scott's help in getting closer to you. He gave me both months ago." He winked and then left the coffee shop.

Stiles was left staring after that perfect ass in those perfect jeans, wondering how a man like that could ever be interested in an awkward guy like him, and also contemplating how he could murder his best friend for keeping it a secret for so long.


End file.
